So, I know a "Dreamer." When he was but a baby, his parents illegally immigrated from Ecuador and brought him here. Now in his mid-20s, he knows nothing but America. In his mind, he is American. He works in a technical field, and has taken advantage of Obama's DACA waiver to get a work permit. The job that he holds is not easily filled. (As an IT executive, I know what it takes to find good people for certain roles. In fact, for my last seven positions, I had to import employees from other states because positions remained unfilled for months, and we had to cast a wider net to try and find qualified candidates.)
This guy is in a tough spot. I can empathize with him. Like Ted Cruz said, "illegal immigration creates human tragedies."
So what do you do with a guy like this? Clearly he is here illegally. Clearly *something* needs to be done.
In cases like this, I do support some things that would be widely criticized on TBR. Here's how I would handle it:
1. Dreamer voluntarily submits himself for deportation. This does not extend to his family - just the illegal who is here by no fault of his own.
2. Revoke his work permit.
3. Pardon his illegal immigration crime and "visa overstay." Otherwise, the way the law currently works, the Dreamer could not re-enter the country for 10 years.
4. Deport the Dreamer.
5. Place the Dreamer at the top of the list for visa consideration *in priority order based on number of years residency*. So, yeah, someone like my friend who has been here 20-something years would trump some high school student who crossed the border 2 months ago.
6. VISA LIMITS AND OTHER FACTORS THAT WOULD NORMALLY RESULT IN DENIAL REMAIN IN EFFECT.
Some might call this "touch back" amnesty. Here's how I look at it...
We have a current immigration policy that allows X number of people to get visas per year anyway. If we are going to let X people in, why not give preferential treatment to individuals who have already lived here, have valuable skills, have proven themselves good residents (no lawbreakers! no-fault illegal immigration status, aside), and - for the most part - already consider themselves to be American?
Bear in mind that unskilled workers already have a tough time getting visas, so all those useless illegals who are a drain on the system would simply get deported and have little/no chance to get back in. Many in that situation would not self-deport, so we kick those out forcibly after the opt-in period has expired.